Sivan: The Mystical Power of Three

At Sinai we moved above and beyond, where the whole truth dwells.

We are entering the Hebrew month of Sivan. The central event to take place in this month (and arguably in all recorded history) is God giving the Torah to the Jews at Mount Sinai.

Sivan is the third month of the Hebrew calendar if we begin our count from Nissan, the month of our liberation from Egypt, which is the way months are counted in the Torah. Three is a portentous number in Judaism. Moses was the third child in his family. The Israelites began the three-day process of preparing themselves to receive the Torah on the third of Sivan. God divided the Jews into three groups with different roles: the Kohanim, the Leviites, and the rest of the Jews, Yisrael.

Before we explore the mystical connotation of the number three, we have to understand what "truth" really is. Truth means a lot more than mere verbal accuracy. The mystical name for truth is Tiferet, which literally means "harmony" – not exactly the association most of us have with truth. What's the connection?

Truth is a synthesis of the whole.

The Maharal, the famous renaissance-era Kabbalist, defines truth as: the entire picture. It includes past, present and future; it includes internal reality and its external counterpoint. It is a synthesis of the whole – harmony. If something is true at all, it must be true spiritually, physically, mathematically, and philosophically. If an idea "works" on one level, but doesn't on any of the other levels, it is not truth in the purest sense of the word.

We humans are mortal, which pretty well cuts us off from any foolproof vision of the future. Our access to anything that took place before we were born is colored by other people's interpretations of the past. Add a healthy scoop of emotional subjectivity even to our observations of the present, and it seems that our search for truth is doomed.

Transcendent truth, by definition, comes from a place above time and space. The Maharal regards transcendent truth as the only real truth. The only time we had access to it was at Mount Sinai, when we heard the voice of God.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

From this perspective, we can begin to examine the significance of the number three. The Maharal tells us to imagine a link chain. When you hold it up, the first link touches the second one. The second one touches both the first link and the third one. The third one touches the second one and not the first. Thus the third link is the first in the series that doesn't have any connection to the first link. The number three thus symbolizes something new, but not disconnected.

The Maharal refers to this quality (new, but not disconnected) as "nivdal", which means in Hebrew separate or transcendent; it is part of a process, but also beyond it. Thus, for example, Moses, the third child in his family, was connected to the heritage of monotheism that Abraham initiated, but he took it a step further, giving his people a sense of nationhood based on the Torah.

The month of Sivan is connected historically to Nissan, the month of liberation. In Sivan, however, the Jews went a step beyond physical freedom and became spiritually autonomous, defined only by the Torah, God's word. Nivdal. Connected but new. Part of the process, but also beyond it.

ON THE TRAIN PLATFORM

What does it mean to live with transcendence? I recently had an experience that gave me new insight into seeing how deeply this seemingly abstract concept affects me in my day-to-day thinking.

I was in New Jersey, heading to Sequacus at the Metrotrack station. It was about 2:00pm and the platform was almost empty. The only fellow travelers in sight were two women and a man. Suddenly, one of the women, standing quite close to me, lost her balance and fell backwards. I immediately bent over to help her get up. Although her eyes were open, she made no response. She was unconscious.

The second woman on the platform approached. She asked me if I knew first aid. I replied that I didn't, and she claimed that she also didn't know first aid, but she bent down and took the prostrate woman's pulse. When she saw that there was no pulse, she immediately began administering C.P.R. Clearly, she knew what she was doing.

In the meantime I called 911. Five minutes passed. The woman looked at me, exhausted. Copying what I had seen her do, I relieved her. Soon, a policeman appeared. I was appalled. We needed a medic, not a policeman! He began to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, clearly the only first aid response he knew.

The platform suddenly shook with the vibrations of an arriving train. The woman who began the C.P.R, the one person who really knew what to do, muttered something about intubations and boarded the train. I looked on in horror. A person was dying, and she found it necessary to catch her train!

Within a few minutes the ambulance crew finally arrived. Later, when recounting the episode, I was bothered by how the woman who was, by default, supervising the rescue effort could have simply left to catch her train. How important could a business meeting or a shopping date or even a chemo session be when compared to saving a life?

The answer illustrates the opposite of nivdal. If I had asked her that question the day before, she would certainly have answered, "Saving a life is more important." She certainly knows the transcendent truth. The problem is that when the train actually roared into the station, she was caught up with the reality of here and now. Physical reality is so vivid and immediate, that it eclipses transcendent reality.

Receiving Torah is a commitment to go beyond the immediate, and to get to the essence of truth.

And what would nivdal look like? Imagine that the woman who knew CPR had an appointment for a job interview for her dream job. Imagine that the train to that place came only once every three hours. Imagine that she had been unemployed for six months, and really needed that job. And now imagine that it was so clear to her that saving a life is more important than any of the above, that, when her train came, she chose to stay with the woman until the medics arrived, and she knew, without hesitation or regret, that that was the right choice. That's nivdal. It is living connected to the higher truth that the mere external reality conveys.

Receiving Torah is the ultimate nivdal. It is a commitment to go beyond the immediate, the vivid, and the seemingly real, and to get to the transcendent, inclusive picture that is the essence of truth.

MAZAL OF THE MONTH -- GEMINI

Moses was not the only one who brought the Jewish people to a place where they could hear the truth. His brother Aaron acted as his spokesperson from the early days in Egypt, when he arrived at Pharaoh's palace with the outrageous demand that he free the Jews. Each one of them played a role in expanding our consciousness in a specific and unique way. Moses was the ultimate lawgiver. He transmitted the commandments that teach us where the lines have to be drawn if we are to rise above pseudo truth and enter the realm of absolute transcendental truth. His brother Aaron approached each Jew with love, and brought forth the hidden yearning to live a life higher and more encompassing than the every day. Justice and love were intertwined; it is no coincidence that this month's sign is Gemini, the twins.

THE BOOK OF RUTH

Each of the three pilgrim festivals (Pesach Shavuot and Sukkot, which were celebrated in ancient times by a nationwide trek to Jerusalem) has a specific focus. On each, a different Megillah is read, narrating a particular aspect of the story of our relationship with God.

On Shavuot, we read the story of Ruth, the Moabite princess who abandoned everything safe and familiar to follow her mother-in-law Naomi to Israel, to a life of physical rigor and spiritual truth. Her story is the story of all of us this month, as we try to move beyond our limited grasp of truth and move closer to the whole picture we saw at Sinai.

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About the Author

Consummate educator and internationally acclaimed speaker, Rebbetzin Tzipora Heller has been a full-time lecturer at Neve Yerushalayim College in Jerusalem since 1980, impacting the lives of thousands of women worldwide. She is the author of six popular books, including Here You Are, Battle Plans, and This Way Up. She recently launched a daily video program based on the timeless Jewish wisdom of "Duties of the Heart." Learn how to channel your emotions to experience every day with purpose, meaning, and joy at: dutiesoftheheart.com

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 8

(8)
Ursula Roberts,
February 29, 2016 11:20 PM

I would like the true meaning or translation of my name

I read somewhere on the çomputer thàt you can learn your true reason for being born and goal in life by leàrning the true translation or meaning of your name because it interprets what kind of person you were meant to be. So I want to know my reason for being here and what I was meant to accomplish while I'm here. And help others 5o know there destiny as well.so how can I find this information out. I'm lost.

(7)
Nechama,
May 10, 2013 8:25 AM

I really appreciated the story that took place by the train, it really brought the point home!

(6)
Anonymous,
May 24, 2012 7:26 AM

@Rebbetzin

sometimes recently i have stood back and asked is this my lesson or one i share to help or assist a.n.other through our shared experience. i am reminded as i think about it that here, even tho you questioned the role of the woman going onto the train you did not prejudge or curse but blessed her role and saw her as the supervisor but not the director, the helper but not the expert, the one who responded without knowledge but with intutition... and i think back to the role of women as helpers... and the Men who stand firm in faith... you did not leave the scene, you did not stop beleiving you had a role to continue and stay stedfast in, like a Father you remained and with historical and present truth you continued to assist in a situation you also learned from as it unfolded. you are a blessing and an inspiration to us Rebbetzin and i thank you for not only being there to help on that platform but for being there and with and alongside all the others in a HU-man capacity. i pray that all those in the situation you describe continue to feel and see the love and feel love from G-d throughout each and every day of their lives through His grace and the situations within which we are shown and carry and act upon the love He unconditionally gave us all a share of for His purpose and His glory. AMEN

(5)
Richard Corsano,
May 22, 2012 11:07 PM

Thanks! I needed that just now.

Thanks! I needed that just now.

(4)
Anita,
January 6, 2010 8:51 PM

this is bread of life

I have been devouring these articles since I strayed on Rebbitzin Heller's blog by chance. They have helped me gain peace and balance and make clearer decisions. Thank you so much for this wisdom and erudition.

(3)
may,
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM

Thanks

That was one splendid article! Thanks.

(2)
Alexander,
May 29, 2006 12:00 AM

Thanks Rebbetzin Heller

I founded this awesome web site and now I'm discovering day by day the spirituality.I really appreciate your help.

(1)
hadassah,
May 28, 2006 12:00 AM

As always

A beautiful, clear explanation of the chag, as always. Thanks Rebbetzin Heller!

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!